INFLUENCE OF EXTREMELY-LOW-FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC-FIELDS ON THE SWIMMING BEHAVIOR OF CILIATES

Different species of ciliates (Paramecium biaurelia, Loxodes striatus, Tetrahymena thermophila) have been taken as model systems to study th e effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (50 Hz, 0. 5-2.0 mT) on the cellular level. A dose-dependent increase in the mean swimming velocity and a decrease in the linearity of cell tracks were observed in all wild-type cells. In contrast, field-exposure did not increase the number of directional turns of the Paramecium tetraurelia pawn mutant (d4-500r), which is characterized by defective Ca2+-chann els. The described changes indicate a direct effect of low frequency e lectromagnetic fields on the transport mechanisms of the cell membrane for ions controlling the motile activity of cilia. (C) 1997 Wiley Lis s, Inc.